Almshouse Resilient Communities (ARC) for the Future
The ARC for the Future project will examine how resilience can be fostered in almshouse communities, contributing to a wider research programme on suitable living environments for an older population.
Overview
Grounded in the context of inadequate social housing in the UK for older people, ARC for the Future will work with seven community partners who provide high-quality accommodation for older residents, and investigate the potential of the almshouse charity model as an alternative to private or local authority provision. The project has a triple perspective, focusing on social, built environment and governance resilience.
Read our Project Overview document:
Outputs
Knowledge Hub on Resilience in Almshouse Communities
With more extreme climates and frequent 'shock events' like pandemics, boosting the resilience of communities and the built environment is crucial. The Knowledge Hub on Resilience in Almshouse Communities offers free resources to almshouse residents, staff, social housing providers, and anyone interested in strengthening communities to deal with change.
Learn more about the Hub and access it
RICS Report – Almshouses: a model of community housing for an ageing population
Written by ARC researchers, Jenny Pannell and Dr Alison Pooley, the report offers the most recent, comprehensive overview of the almshouses provision in the UK. It takes a future-focused approach, exploring the distinct and valuable contribution of almshouse accommodation to housing for older people. Case studies in the UK and the Netherlands are examined.
Read the report:
People
Funder
ARC Research Partners
ARC Residents Advisory Group (RAG) Members
Maggie Anderson, Kim Baxter, Sid Guichard, Viv Guichard, Nick Henderson, Roger Hoare, Liz McIlduff, Pat Medina, Andy Rosholm-Olesen, and other almshouse residents.
ARC Supporters
ARC Project Team Members
Niamh is a Principal Research Fellow at UCL, specialising in sustainable and resilience behaviour. An environmental psychologist by discipline, she has a particular interest in the interactions between people and their physical environments, both built and natural.
Evelyn is a Research Fellow at UCL. They have a PhD in sociology from Brunel University London, an MSc in medical anthropology from University College London, and a BA in anthropology from the University of Connecticut. Their previous research has included various interdisciplinary, applied social sciences projects on healthcare topics, primarily on trans healthcare in the UK.
Alison is an Associate Professor and leads the Sustainable Healthy Communities theme within the University's Suffolk Sustainability Institute.
Jenny is currently Research Associate with UCL. She has carried out extensive research on housing, support and care for older people for a range of funders, and she has a special interest in the future role of the almshouse movement. Jenny was a senior housing manager with social housing providers before moving into independent research and consultancy.
Alison is Head of Research and Influence at United St Saviour’s Charity. In her role, she coordinates various research projects with academic partners with the aim that the research findings will better inform United St Saviour's Charity's service provision for residents and improve their health and wellbeing outcomes.
Zoe is the Director of Operations and Deputy CEO of SJMT (Sir Josiah Mason Trust). In her role she is responsible for all alms housing provision across the West Midlands, Care services, Young Peoples services and support operations across the organisation. Zoe has been with SJMT for nearly 4 years and comes from a senior leadership national charity background.
Lisa is Head of House & Property at The Whiteley Homes Trust.
ARC Professionals Advisory Group (PAG) Members
The Almshouse Association
Housing LIN
Winckworth Sherwood Law
United St Saviour’s Charity
Chartered Institute of Housing
Chelmsford City Council
Sir Josiah Mason Trust
The Whiteley Homes Trust
Ridgeway Associates/City of Wells Almshouses
Erosh (Midlands)/Wyggestons Almshouse Charity
Housing Diversity Network
Bristol Charities
Durham Aged Mineworkers’ Homes Association
The Almshouse Association
Thorngate Churcher Trust
Southwark Charities
Read the 2023 blog
Dr Niamh Murtagh discusses the link between community & individual resilience, & emphasises the critical contribution of decent housing to resilience.
Read moreRead the 2022 blog
Dr Niamh Murtagh explains what is meant by ‘resilience’ and why almshouse communities are excellent sites for research.
Read more